


What is a Sleepover?

by Neon_Sleep



Series: Insiders [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Minor scheming, Much needed girl time, Sleepovers, Student My Unit | Byleth, Student!Byleth, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 09:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neon_Sleep/pseuds/Neon_Sleep
Summary: Hilda finds out Byleth has never had a sleepover, and decides to get all the girls in on it. No boys allowed. Especially Claude.Minor scheming and major girl-time ensues.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Insiders [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1521872
Comments: 20
Kudos: 267





	1. Claude Just Wants to Have Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sleepover episode! This takes place after In The Library, but as usual, this can be read on its own. I really had fun with this one.

“We should have a girl’s night!” Hilda exclaimed, slapping her hands down on her desk.

“Miss Goneril, we are in the middle of a lesson. Please limit your after-school activities to _after-school_.” Seteth pinched the bridge of his nose, now having to pause his lecture about ballistae and their tactical uses for the third time.

“Sorry Professor Seteth, but I was just thinking about how yesterday Byleth told me that she had never had a sleepover before, and I thought, _why don’t we just have one here_?” Hilda sat back, looking rather pleased with herself at having come to this solution.

“What is a sleepover?” Flayn raised her hand and turned around in her seat in the front row.

“Flayn!” Seteth gasped with a look of betrayal. “Do not encourage her.”

“A sleepover is when you stay overnight at a friends house and do each other’s hair and makeup, play games and stay up all night talking! It’s loads of fun- oh, you can come too! It can be all of us Golden Deer girls, and maybe some girls from the other houses would like to come too. I’ll start a list going…” Hilda bent over her ‘notes’ and began a checklist for the event.

“Oh how wonderful! I would definitely like to participate in this ‘girl’s night’.” Flayn absolutely beamed at the idea of spending a night with all her new classmates. The sight softened Seteth just a little, and his face settled into a gentle scowl.

“Yes well, please continue this little tangent AFTER class. Right now I need you all to pay attention, as this knowledge is invaluable and could change the tides of any battle. As I was saying…”

* * *

“So Byleth!” Hilda sat down on the bench across from Byleth and Claude where they were sitting at their usual table in the Dining Hall. “I was thinking we could plan to have the sleepover tonight at-“

“By is helping me study for certifications tonight.” Claude interrupted, looking at Hilda with a completely neutral expression, or at least he tried to, but failed to hide the mischievous glint in his eyes. She spared an annoyed look at him before ploughing ahead.

“Ooookay, then tomorrow night we can-“

“Nope. Tomorrow night we’re going to the library to check out every book we can on astronomy for an upcoming mission.” Hilda raised one eyebrow at him, wanting to ask if he’d booked her time all the way up to the wedding, but decided that wasn’t fair to Byleth. Claude took another bite of the stew in front of him, barely keeping the grin off his face.

“Friday then.” She said simply, waiting for any other excuses Claude might think up. She could see the gears turning in his head, but when he turned to look at Byleth he froze under her keen stare.

“What?” he said innocently, giving her his best puppy eyes and full attention.

“I’m waiting for any other plans I have I don’t know about. You seem to be keeping me very busy.” She deadpanned, causing him to recoil a bit with a sheepish look on his face and his hand behind his head. Hilda’s cheeks puffed and her eyes widened as she held in her laugh across the table, but Claude quickly recovered and leaned forward into Byleth's space. “You want me to keep you busy Teach? ‘Cuz I’ll take up as much of your time as you’ll give me.” At Claude’s punctuating smirk Byleth grabbed his shoulder and pushed him as far away as her arm could reach while turning back to Hilda. “Friday is perfect.”

“Yay! I’ll get to work planning everything, you just show up to my room Friday evening ok?”

“I’ll be there. Excuse me, I told my father I’d meet him after lunch in his office.” Byleth swung her legs over the bench and Claude watched her retreat with a pout and a mild sense of dread.

“So when are you planning to propose?”

“Hildaaa.” Claude whined, lowering his head to the table with a thud.

“Well I was just wondering, since you seem to have a lot of _plans_ when it comes to Byleth.”

“It’s not what you think.” It was exactly what Hilda thought, but Claude wasn’t ready for anyone, himself included, to realize it yet. Despite being closest to his heart, there was still a lot he and Byleth didn’t know about each other, didn’t know about _themselves_. He was still trying to sort out his own feelings and intentions, and it was hard enough to stay behind the line of ‘best friends’ he’d drawn in front of himself when he found himself on the other side of her teasing. Not to mention he’d been witness to some of her rejections already, and they had been considerably brutal. Partially because Claude could sympathize, but partially because Byleth could be rather _cold_.

“Claude, this is much needed girl time that Byleth has never had before, and you can’t expect to monopolize her forever. Not to mention that if your current plan is to hide your incredibly obvious feelings by being super clingy and openly flirting with her, you may need to come up with a better scheme.”

“I wasn’t- “Claude’s voice cracked, so he cleared his throat and closed his eyes. _Get it together, Claude._ “I was just teasing her, like I always do. Anyway, as you know I’m pretty practiced at braiding hair, so I’ll be seeing you on Friday.”

“No I will not.”

“I’ll do your assignments for a month.”

“Not a chance Claude.”

* * *

The next day, Claude had a plan. He sought out Marianne in the stables, intent on finding a way into this sleepover. If he could talk anyone into letting him in, it was probably her.

“Hey hey Marianne! Need any help? You and Dorte are both looking radiant today, might I add.”

“Oh! H-hi Claude. No need to trouble yourself, I’m just brushing Dorte off after our ride earlier today.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Claude pulled a ribbon and some sugar cubes out of his pocket and began feeding Dorte the cubes. After they’d all disappeared from his hand, he got to work braiding the ribbon through the horse’s mane. He and Marianne worked in comfortable silence for awhile before Claude decided to make his plea. _No time like the present._

“So! Marianne! I hear Hilda is planning that big get together for Friday.” Marianne froze, glancing in his direction but keeping her eyes on Dorte. “Would you like an escort? It’s not a real Golden Deer party if the beloved class leader isn’t there, am I right?” He finished with a laugh and a wink, hoping Marianne would take pity on him, but now she was just looking at him with surprise.

“Actually Claude, Hilda went around and told all the girls that no boys were to be allowed in under any circumstances. It was a good try though. I’m sure Byleth appreciates the effort.”

Claude blinked. _Damn. Hilda is good; there goes any chance I had of getting in._ He decides to ignore the last part about Byleth, chalking it up to Hilda putting ideas in Marianne’s head. Claude couldn’t stop his disappointment from showing on his face as he started to slowly back away. “Ah well. Thanks for telling me Marianne. I’ll get out of your and Dorte’s hair now.” As he started his trek back to the dorms, Marianne picked up the braided section of Dorte’s mane and admired the golden ribbon woven through it. _Hmm…_ she thought. _I wonder if Byleth has noticed this recent change in Claude._

* * *

That night, Claude and Byleth sat in the training yard, 20+ star charts and maps littering the ground around them. Claude lay on his stomach, tracing constellations over their next mission’s route while Byleth sat in front of him with her legs criss-crossed, checking off items on a clipboard. He licked his lips and looked up nervously at his friend. _This isn’t going to work, but maybe I’ll at least get a fun reaction out of it._

“Hey By? Can I come to the sleepover on Friday?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not a girl.”

“Hmph.” Claude puffed out his cheeks and rolled over to be flat on his back, staring at the stars overhead. “I can braid hair and trade secrets too. Last month Hilda called me _best_ girl.” He grumbled almost unintelligibly and Byleth regarded her friend with a warm curiosity. She leaned over him, blocking his view of the sky and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Claude, why do you want to attend our girl’s night so badly?”

His lips parted and his eyes widened as his entire field of vision narrowed down to this one girl; her teal hair backlit by starlight and fallen to curtain around his face while he fell into her violet eyes, almost in a trance. Any train of thought he might’ve entertained had just rolled off it’s tracks, over a cliff and met an explosive demise. _Woah. Wait, what did she ask me?_

Byleth looked down at his dumbstruck face with a bit of confusion. _Did he not hear me?_

“Claude?” she asked again, only to watch his dumb expression morph into panic just before he rapidly moved to sit up, only for their foreheads to collide with a resounding _smack_. Both parties yelped and backed away from each other, clutching their heads. “Really?!” Byleth somehow managed a look of both annoyance and concern, and Claude immediately felt guilt on top of his physical pain.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, what were you asking me?”

“I asked why you want to come to the sleepover so badly.”

He sighed, hugging his knees to his chest and looking everywhere but back at her. “I just- well I don’t want to miss out. The girls are going to get you all dolled up and have you laughing and smiling and having a generally great time and I won’t get to see any of it, much less participate. I just want to be a part of it too.” He shrugged, his gaze laser-focused on the ground and his face contorted into yet another pout.

She wasn’t expecting such a serious answer from him, and so she took a minute to contemplate his complaint and figure out how it made her feel. It was a strange mix of guilt, appreciation and… something Byleth didn’t know how to place. It was strange to hear someone so openly lament missing her company, yet in light of Claude’s yearning she felt happy. _This must be what two close friends feel when they spend time apart_ , she thought.

So Byleth walked on her knees over to Claude and sat directly next to him, so close that their sides were pressed together and she mirrored his position, pulling her knees to her chest. They both kept their gazes pointed ahead and Byleth decided what she needed to say. The truth Claude deserved to hear.

“Claude.”

“Hm.”

“I appreciate you.”

Claude’s blush was instant, but he refused to turn his head, feeling that if he looked at Byleth, she would see what a mess he was over one tiny acknowledgement and an awkward conversation would ensue. His compromise was a quiet laugh.

“Well… I'm glad _someone_ does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I wasn't sure about splitting this story into two parts, but Claude schemes more than i outline, apparently. Pokemon Shield has me slowing down writing to catch 'em all, but I'm still thinking about my GD children 24/7.  
> Anyway, Thanks for reading!!  
> The sleepover part will be up soon, along with a few more schemes, and a LOT more characters. Including... Sylvain?!?!


	2. Let the Sleepover Commence!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilda throws an awesome sleepover and Claude schemes his way in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... sorry this took so long. I hope it was worth the wait, or at least manages to make you smile. I know I did while writing it.

Byleth sat in front of Hilda’s vanity with scarlet lips and artfully placed black powder over her eyelids that made her violet irises pop. Hilda and Marianne stood behind her, deliberating hairstyles.

“Maybe a French braid like yours?”

“Um, I-I don’t know if all these layers in Byleth’s hair would be very conducive to that.”

“Well it definitely has to be an updo.”

“I could do a braided bun? Then the short pieces could sort of-“

“Ooooh you’re right Marianne! And I have the perfect hair pins for that!” Hilda skipped over to her the cabinet where she kept her growing collection of accessories. Marianne hovered her hands over Byleth’s head, unsure.

“Um, may I?”

“Of course.” Byleth looked up at Marianne through the mirror with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned. She was actually pretty excited; Jeralt was the only other person to have ever touched Byleth’s hair, and even then it had only been brushed by him when she was a child, and now the odd trim every couple of months when she requested it. He was the one who had styled the choppy layers into her hair, reasoning that it would be easier to keep out of her face in battle.

As Marianne started to brush through her hair, Byleth came to a realization that her father was also the only person to ever come in to contact with her. Her head started to feel a bit ticklish where Marianne gently pulled at her hair, and when her fingertips gently grazed her scalp she almost shivered at the unfamiliarity of the action. Come to think of it, she’d never received a hug from anyone but her father either. _And when was the last time that had happened?_ She couldn’t recall.

Instead of letting Marianne’s soft touches lull her to sleep like she was tempted to do, Byleth looked up through the mirror at the other girls in the room. Behind her, Annette and Mercedes sat at a small side table and were laughing over dessert, a three-tier tower of cookies and cakes they baked themselves adorning the table. Over on the bed, Dorothea was doing Ingrid’s makeup, narrating to both her and Flayn what she was doing.

“And you don’t have to apply this lipstick directly to your lips if you don’t want to use this dark of a shade. Here, I’ll just dab a little bit of this on my finger aaand pucker up!” Ingrid pushed out her lips and allowed Dorothea to dab on the color while Flayn watched with excitement. “Oooh I can’t wait for my turn! You both already look incredible.”

Byleth looked on at all her classmates warmly. She felt a sort of peace, to be surrounded by friends and their laughter. She closed her eyes and figured maybe letting Marianne soothe her to sleep wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * *

Claude paced quietly in front of Hilda’s room, arms overflowing with bunches of flowers. All different colors and sizes amassed in his arms; he’d spent the afternoon picking them from the greenhouse and arranging them as artfully as he could. Now he looked down at them from under the hood of his oversized cloak and had to fight the urge to sneeze.

 _Alright,_ he thought, _enough stalling… Screw it just knock already._

He rapped on the door before he could change his mind about his lame idea and listened to the muffled chatter from inside. It surprisingly wasn’t as loud as he had expected. A few seconds later, Hilda opened the door with a fittingly bewildered look on her face. Claude lowered his voice as deep as he could manage and launched into his rehearsed speech.

“Hello. I’m going door to door on behalf of the students’ gardening club selling these flowers grown at the monastery for a fundraiser. Care to support our cause and purchase some flowers? I’m sure some white daisies would compliment your hair quite nicely.” He finished with a wink, only to remember that she wouldn’t be able to see it anyway with how he was hidden under his cloak.

“Riiiight,” Hilda deadpanned. She ducked her head a little to try and see under the hood and Claude turned his head to match her movement, unknowingly catching the setting sun’s light on his earring. Hilda went through every male student she knew that wore earrings in her head, and the one standing in front of her _certainly_ wasn’t Dedue.

Hilda covered her smile with a hand and put on her most innocent expression. “My, what tan skin you have. Must be from all that time spent outside gardening, right?”

“O-of course. It’s only natural, though some might think commenting on it is a bit _forward-“_

“And you must be club president, considering you have previous experience in a leadership role, am I right?”

“Uh, I-“ He shook his head, connecting the dots. “Well, that didn’t take long.”

“Listen Claude, being the magnanimous noblewoman that I am, I’ve decided to take these flowers off your hands for free and let you off the hook for trying to crash this sleepover.” With a sigh, Claude held his arms out and allowed her to gently scoop the bunches of bouquets out of his grasp in one go. “However,” she paused in the doorway, “because I am not only generous but also your good friend, I will do you one small favor. Stay right there, and I’ll be right back.” She gave him a wink and turned out of the doorway. “Hey Dorothea, do you think you could help me set these somewhere?” she called as she walked away, leaving the door wide open behind her. From where Claude was standing, he had a direct line of sight through the room and could see the entire wall where Hilda’s vanity sat.

And his jaw dropped.

In a chair in front of the mirror sat Byleth, whose lips were as red as some of the roses he’d picked from the greenhouse, and whose eyes were painted in such a way that the words Ashen Demon came to mind, yet in an entirely different light than he knew the moniker was meant to depict. He could see her hair was done up in a bun that Marianne was still currently pinning braids over; soft tendrils of hair hung down to frame her face, the overall effect somehow managing to make her look younger despite the dark makeup. His focus was drawn back to her face: her closed eyes, the gentle slope of her nose, her lips slightly…parted… _wait_.

_Is she…snoring?_

It was at that exact moment that Hilda came back to the door and started to slowly close it. “Well, that was it. I hope you were paying attention. Anyway, thanks so much for the flowers. Bye now!” And with a final wink and a grin she shut him out, leaving Claude alone with his thoughts on the doorstep.

_Well if I’m being honest, that glimpse inside is more than I was expecting to see anyway. Leave it to Hilda to see right through me immediately._

He turned around and touched his forehead to the brick wall next to the door, then clutched a hand over his chest. He knew he was being dramatic, but as his thoughts turned back to Byleth, he couldn’t help himself.

_Too cute! It’s only a two-year difference, but back there she looked like she could be Hilda’s or my age._

He stood up straight again and walked away. He hadn’t wanted it to come to this, but Hilda had pushed his hand.

Time for plan two.

* * *

After Hilda’s announcement of the beginning of tea and flower crowns, everyone was given a small bouquet to work with and shape as they pleased. Some opted to weave them together, while others simply started pinning them into their hair. Now Ingrid and Dorothea sat with some mint tea at the side table discussing potential suitors, or rather, a lack of suitors with potential.

“After that disaster in Ailell, frankly it’s hard for me to even think about wanting to meet new suitors.” Ingrid sighed, seemingly more tired with the situation than anything else.

“Hah! If only we could switch places, right? I want a promised, long lasting relationship and you want the freedom to live as you please as a knight. It’s almost too perfect.” Dorothea laughed at her own revelation and was happy to see she’d at least brought a smile back to Ingrid’s face.

They looked over at Mercedes and Annette, who were both laughing over one delicate and one slightly misshapen flower crown. “Hey Mercedes. Are you interested in anyone here at the monastery?” Dorothea called out, getting the girls’ attention.

“Ooo is it time to talk boys?” Annette squealed. Mercedes laughed and looked up at Dorothea.

“Well, Sylvain flirted with me a bit, but I feel a bit like a mother to the group to be honest.” Mercedes smiled at the same time Ingrid cringed.

“I’m sorry about him. He’s been like that since we were kids. It’s annoying; I’m always having to fix his messes for him.”

“Have you two ever dated?” Annette dared to ask, and all three girls turned to Ingrid, whose face immediately turned pink.

“Oh no, definitely not. I’ve just known him for a very long time.” Ingrid got stiff and the quietness of the room drew Hilda’s attention from where she was placing some pink peonies into Marianne’s hair.

“Are you guys talking about Ingrid and Sylvain? Because I have some questions.” Hilda piped up.

Over on some cushions on the floor sat Flayn and Byleth, who by now had matching buns on the top of their heads and were talking about their favorite hobby they had in common: fishing.

“Just last month I was able to capture a Queen Loach, and with just a pond snail for bait! I convinced my brother to cook it for us and it brought back such fond memories.” She sighed, but still had a joyful look on her face. “And of course, it was delicious.”

Byleth leaned in conspiratorially, tucking puffs of angelica into Flayn’s hair just under where the braid wrapped around the bun as if it were a built-in flower crown. She was halfway done, but Flayn really had a _lot_ of hair. Marianne was a true expert.

“Well just _last week_ ,” Byleth emphasized, “I nearly caught a Fodlandy with some herring, but it got away at the last second.”

“You didn’t!” Flayn gasped.

“I did.” Byleth nodded solemnly.

A moment of silence passed as the two girls wondered at the thought of such a rare catch before the sound of Hilda’s loud voice drew them into a very different conversation.

~

While the girls had been distracted by flower crowns and a perfect tea time, Claude had moved on to his second scheme of the evening. He had used the cover of darkness to sneak along the wall to where he now sat underneath Hilda’s windowsill, where he hid behind some conveniently placed bushes and listened through the cracked open window. So far, he’d learned that Annette was self-conscious about her clumsiness, Mercedes was a triple threat baker, artist and gardener, and Dorothea had very strong opinions on the ideal life partner. He hadn’t really meant to eavesdrop, but picking out Byleth’s quiet tones underneath the noisy chatter of 6 other girls (Marianne not included), was proving a near impossible task.

He was so focused on sorting out voices that when a mop of red hair popped through the bushes next to him he thought for sure he’d been caught and the girls would tie him up and deliver him to Seteth for sneaking.

“Oh hey! We had the same idea huh?” Sylvain appeared with a laugh, oblivious to Claude’s internal panic. “I got rejected too. Ingrid threatened to drag me to Seteth’s office by the ear if I even tried to crash the party.” He sat shoulder to shoulder with Claude and looked over a bit sheepishly. “Uh, do you mind?”

Despite the annoyance Claude felt at Sylvain’s involvement, he didn’t see the harm in letting him stay.

“Well… fine. Just keep quiet.”

~

“Wait…so you don’t have a crush on Sylvain?” Hilda looked both amused and bewildered.

“Oh, then you two aren’t dating?” Flayn sounded more concerned than anything else, a little sad for Ingrid’s imagined relationship.

Ingrid started sputtering, her face was a much darker shade of red now. “N-No! What could possibly make you think that? Does everyone think Sylvain and I are together?!”

“Well, you _are_ always apologizing for him, and nagging him to train, and dragging him away from other

women.” Dorothea tried to keep her voice gentle, even as she was trying to hold back a smile at how cute her darling Ingrid was when embarrassed.

“Well we’re childhood friends. I feel responsible for him. Even if he can be an insatiable flirt.” Ingrid looked away, remembering a time when things were reversed, and Sylvain was the one that looked after her and Felix because he was the oldest. It felt like such a long time ago, yet… ”He can be really kind when he wants to be, though”, she said softly.

~

But not softly enough, because Sylvain definitely heard her, and he was as red hearing Ingrid defend him as she was at being accused of dating him. “Aw, I knew Ingrid had my back. She can pretend all she wants, but I know she likes me.”

Claude listened to him amusedly, but the conversation was far from over. Listening in again, they heard Annette questioning Ingrid’s _true_ feelings.

“So… you _do_ have a crush on Sylvain?”

“Ugh. No! I just meant that, well, he’s a good friend! Mostly! When he’s not flirting with my granny!”

Sylvain cringed at the collective gasp they heard from the room. Claude looked over, not bothering to hide the judgement on his face and Sylvain scooted away a bit, feeling attacked.

“Don’t look at me like that ok!? It was a million years ago! She was a very good-looking woman!”

“…Ok buddy.”

~

Inside, Ingrid was very ready to get the attention off herself and floundered for someone else to drop the spotlight on. “W-What about Byleth? We threw this sleepover for you right? Isn’t there someone you like?”

Byleth locked eyes with Ingrid and gave her patent blank stare. “Me?”

~

Claude tensed up. _I’m not sure I want to hear this part._

~

Hilda’s spoke up before anyone else could. “Oh yeah! I meant to ask you, how have you and Claude been getting along? You two seem to be rather _close_ lately.” She winked, hoping to finally get some insight on Byleth’s feelings. She would get those two together yet. They both just needed to finally see what was obvious to everyone else.

Byleth seemed to think for a minute, genuinely contemplating the question. “Well… we’ve learned a lot from each other, and I’ve come to rely on him a lot. He has my full trust.”

“Aw that’s so sweet.” Dorothea cooed.

“That’s not really what I meant.” Hilda was a bit disappointed. The answer was wholesome, sure, but it wasn’t exactly new information. Anyone who had seen the two in battle could tell their bond was strong.

Byleth looked at Hilda, unsure. “What _did_ you mean?”

“Well, I,-“ Hilda sighed. “We’ll talk about it later.” _Sorry Claude, she’ll figure it out eventually._

~

With the silence that accompanied everyone’s curiosity, Claude was able to hear Byleth’s answer as crystal clear as if he had been in the same room.

And he was dead.

His heart had stopped, his lungs weren’t working, and he was dead. Sylvain was grinning; he hadn’t noticed Claude’s reaction yet. “Aw I didn’t know you were so close to Byleth. I’m kind of jealous, she shut me down pretty quickly in the training yard. Uh, are you alright?” Apparently, it was Claude’s turn to feel embarrassed because his own cheeks had turned a dark red.

_Her full trust… I didn’t know she felt so strongly about us. If the situation were reversed, would I have said the same with such conviction? Without hesitation? I know she’s very important to me, at least. And I know that she has my back in combat. I think I just need some more time to sort myself out._

Ignoring Sylvain’s comments, Claude felt a new resolve after hearing Byleth’s words. He had to see her.

Tonight.

“I think we’ve both heard enough, don’t you?” Claude asked, one eyebrow raised and a glint in his eye.

Sylvain caught on quickly. “I can be flexible. What’s next on the agenda?”

Claude’s answering smile was dangerous.

* * *

Once everyone’s tea cups were empty, all the tables and chairs were promptly moved aside at Dorothea and Annette’s request. They’d both gotten into a discussion about choir, which of course led to talk of Dorothea’s opera house days, and that inevitably led to the next activity of the night: dancing.

Everyone formed a circle except for Dorothea, who was standing on a makeshift platform made of all the books Hilda kept in her room, (which happened to be quite a few, considering she was tactfully waiting to return them to the library). Byleth stood in between Annette and Hilda because it had come to light that Byleth had no idea how to dance.

“I’ve seen people dance in the villages and bars I’ve been to with the mercenary company, but I never quite felt comfortable enough to jump in on my own. Come to think of it, my father never joined in either.” She thought out loud, a hand under her chin as she reflected on holidays and successful mission after-parties.

“Well the best way to learn how to dance is to practice! We’ll show you the steps. It’s not difficult, I promise.” Hilda grabbed hold of Byleth’s right hand and pulled her closer into the circle.

“Right! We’ve all seen you training, if you can pull off graceful feet in a sparring match, a simple jig will be a piece of cake for you.” Annette giggled and grabbed Byleth’s other hand, completing the circle.

“Alright Dorothea, take it away!” Annette could barely contain her enthusiasm, she was already bouncing in place. Flayn was doing the same across the circle between Ingrid and Marianne, she had said it’d been a long time since she got to dance with a group like this, and she was just as excited.

Dorothea took a swig of water and cleared her throat, then started singing a playful tune that was most definitely not from an opera.

Everyone in the circle started stepping clockwise, then counterclockwise, deliberately starting slow so Byleth could watch Hilda’s feet as she placed them in front of her then did a small hop. Everyone dropped hands to walk closer together and all clap, then walked backwards toward their original places to do some additional steps. Byleth watched everyone very carefully, and by the time the circle joined hands a third time, she danced as if she’d been doing it all her life. She looked around at all the gleeful faces of the girls, euphoric with dizziness from spinning in so many circles, and she understood the appeal of dancing. There was a carefree mentality it made them adopt, like all troubles were forgotten, and studying and missions and training could wait until tomorrow. She was full of adrenaline without having to have swung a sword around or think of ways to best an opponent, and it was _fun_.

 _I had no idea this is what I’ve been missing._ Byleth turned to Hilda once again, whose pigtails had been braided and decorated with flowers, and saw her smiling at Marianne. Witnessing their close friendship always made Byleth feel warm inside. _I’ll find a way to thank Hilda for this later._

~

Unbeknownst to the girls, just outside Hilda’s bedroom door was a duo hellbent on finding a way to join the fun.

“Claude, you are a madman, and I love you.” Sylvain said around a stack of pillows in his arms towered higher than his head. They had made several trips but had finally gathered as many extra pillows as they could borrow and/or swipe from storage rooms where the extra bedding was kept.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m rather proud of this plan myself.” Claude started to stack the pillows up in front of the door, like they were building their own miniature brick wall.

“So I jump first, right?”

“Oh yeah, you’ll have a much easier time breaking this entire thing open. Plus, I get to capitalize on everyone’s shock at your entrance.” Claude’s smirk was outright wicked. He fluffed his own personal attack pillow and got behind Sylvain, who delicately reached between two pillows in the wall they stacked together and knocked three times.

~

The dancing was still going strong; Dorothea had taught everyone a few lines so they all could sing together and she could join the circle. Everyone was smiling and feeling buzzed from all the fun, when Hilda heard the knocks on the door.

“Oh no. Everyone quiet! Maybe we were being too loud.” Hilda went to answer the door and everyone settled down, still laughing a bit from the dancing. Flayn looked a bit uneasy though, “my brother had better not be here to stop us. I specifically told him not to bother us tonight.”

Nevertheless, when Hilda opened the door, Seteth was not standing there with a complaint at the ready. Instead she backed a step away from a white wall put up in front of her, trying to process what she was seeing.

“Um…” was all she could manage, and everyone looked over in confusion.

“Are those pillows?” Ingrid asked the room, squinting towards the doorway.

But nobody had time to affirm that yes, those certainly looked like pillows, because Sylvain threw his entire body at the wall with a “RAAAUGHH” and Hilda screamed and jumped backwards out of the way just in time for the entire attack to miss her.

Byleth, realizing the danger (but not who her attackers were), threw herself in front of Hilda like a shield, just as Claude leapt into the room with his pillow and charged.

“FEAR THE DEER!” He yelled as he ran smack into Byleth, sending both her and Hilda sprawling towards the ornate floor rug.

Sylvain grabbed pillows where he knelt on the ground and started chucking them at everyone close enough to hit, before getting up and charging at Ingrid with his own pillow. Ingrid was ready though, and she somehow managed to grab hold of his pillow and use it to judo flip him to the ground. She looked down at him wincing on the ground and smirked. “You should train with Felix and I more, and maybe I wouldn’t have bested you so easily.”

“Oh come on, it’s a pillow fight!” But Sylvain’s whining was useless, and Ingrid showed no mercy as she started to whack him with his own pillow.

Claude looked down at his two targets with a victorious laugh, “I told you I’d find a way in, Hils.” He held out a hand to Byleth to help her up, but froze completely when he realized how different she looked. Now that he could see her all made up from up close, he was taken aback. She was beautiful, and he was surprised to see some of the flowers he’d brought earlier pinned into her hair. She looked up at him with doe eyes, and he found he couldn’t move.

…Which played exactly into Byleth’s hand. She reached up and yanked his other arm, knocking him off-balance and sending him to the floor next to her. He looked up at her from where he nearly faceplanted with an ounce of betrayal and an abundance of respect, but only had a moment to take in her answering smile when Hilda retaliated with a pillow of her own.

“This-is-for-crashing-my-PARTY!” She shouted in between blows and had Claude now in the fetal position holding his arms up in defense.

“Wait, Hilda- I can explain!” Yet her fury could not be obstructed by mild pleas, and she continued her assault. Byleth laughed and took stock of the room: Mercedes and Annette were having a playful fight of their own, Ingrid and Dorothea were taking turns aiming for Sylvain while he did his best to fight back (or least dodge some swings), and Marianne and Flayn were having their own fun, tossing a pillow back and forth between them like a game of catch.

Claude looked past his arms held up to block Hilda and saw Byleth laughing, and felt a dumb smile stretch over his face that he had no control over. _I’ve never seen her this happy._

Hilda noticed his distraction and followed his line of sight, only to roll her eyes and give up fighting. “Ugh, _boys_. Get out.” She pointed a finger at the door. Claude looked up in surprise.

“What? But we just got here! “

“Yeah, you have to admit that was fun!” Sylvain piped up from the corner, and Ingrid smacked him square in the face for letting his guard down.

“This is supposed to be a girls’ night! Ingrid and I are not afraid to resort to drastic measures to remove you two. Thank you for supplying the extra pillows, now kindly make your exit.”

The two walked slowly towards the door with heads hung low and pillows in their hands, but just as Claude passed Byleth and was a step away from the entrance, he quickly turned and threw the pillow at her head. Sylvain grinned and did the same to Ingrid, before Claude yelled “Run!” and they both sprinted to their rooms and relative safety.

Both girls managed to catch the pillows and Hilda went and locked the door. She turned around to see frowns and shock on all the girls’ faces, only for everyone to bust out laughing at the same time at what had just occurred.

“Man, those two are idiots,” Hilda said wiping a tear from her eye.

“Yeah, but that _was_ pretty fun.” Ingrid agreed, and everyone nodded along.

They all agreed it had gotten late and arranged all the pillows on the ground into a sort of bed. They all got in under their own blankets they had brought, and it was genuinely a cozy setup.

Byleth laid in between her friends, all in different states of sleep, and thought of all the fun things they had done that day, and how Claude had been so determined to see her. She had so many people she could learn from, could count on, could call a friend. A livelier existence in the past year than she’d had in the past twenty something years she’d been alive.

And she was grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claude and Sylvain Kool-Aid Man jumping through a pillow wall to crash the party: SURPRISE BITCH
> 
> If you want to know what I imagined for the dance, it was this renaissance dance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxBMCrrzN4s&list=WL&index=46&t=0s
> 
> So I'm actually a big fan of Sylvix, but I don't think at this point in the story those lovable idiots have figured things out yet.
> 
> Also, anybody catch the fruits basket reference? Hint: it was during the pillow fight.
> 
> My next two ideas are still for pre-timeskip, but I kind of want to write them backwards?? Sorry. So the next two might be out of order. But I am going to keep writing, because fluff kEePs mE gOiNg.
> 
> If you've made it this far.. Thanks for reading!! Even the author's notes!! I'm touched -.-,


End file.
